West Calder High School is one of the county’s high schools which is set to be extended
The bulk of £75 million capital spending agreed in West Lothian’s budget will go on schools.
Almost £56 million will be focused on improving West Lothian’s school estate, ahead of fears capital programmes may be curtailed.
The spending decisions were made as the council awaits a response to a plea to the Scottish Government for £15m to meet the costs of rebuilding one of its largest high schools, St Kentigern’s.
Priorities for investment for 2024/25 will include brand new primary schools in Livingston, East Calder and Winchburgh, and significant planned extensions for West Calder High School and Calderwood Primary in East Calder.
An updated Asset Management Strategy and General Services Capital Programme up to 2032/33 was approved on Thursday, which will see a planned total investment of around £260 million over the next nine years.
The Leader of West Lothian Council, Lawrence Fitzpatrick said: “I’m delighted to approve this capital budget, which makes the best use of our limited funds to deliver the maximum benefits for West Lothian residents.
“There is a risk of ongoing reductions in capital grant funding provided from the Scottish Government which means we will need to continue to review the affordability of our planning assumptions over future years.
“Taking account of this, we have to focus on our priorities to ensure we have the right facilities and equipment in place to allow our dedicated staff to deliver the essential services that West Lothian residents rely on.
“The majority of our investment is rightly focused on schools and education, providing the best school estate we can to support our amazing school pupils, who continue to consistently punch above their weight in exam results and other attainment measures for over a decade now.
“We hope this approach will help ensure our young people have the best possible opportunities for success, benefiting West Lothian for many years to come.”
A total of £62.4 million will be invested in property during 2024/25, which includes £55.8 million spent on improving West Lothian’s school estate.
Developer contributions make up £28.6 million of this funding, with house builders legally required to make when building new homes in the area.
This will support investment in 2024/25 including: £8.6 million towards a new school at Hawkhill in Winchburgh; £8.6 million towards a planned extension for West Calder High; £4 million towards a planned extension to Calderwood Primary in East Calder; £3 million for an extension at Winchburgh Primary; and £2.7 for an extension for St Paul’s Primary in East Calder.
Other education capital projects in 2024/25 include: £16.7 million to mitigate the impact of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) across the school estate; £7.5 million towards the new East Calder Primary; £4 million for planned improvement and statutory compliance works across the council’s estate such as boiler replacements, electrical upgrades and roof repairs; and £3 million towards the new primary for Craigshill to replace Riverside and Letham.
A total of £1.2 million has been allocated for a new purpose-built Whitrigg House in Whitburn to provide residential services for young people.
A further £3 million will be invested on open space and sports facility projects, including parks, woodlands, cemeteries, play areas and paths, while £1.8 million on information and communication technology which is required for the delivery of council services.
There remains a risk that funds available for capital investment could be significantly reduced from 2025 onwards, which is a direct result of reduced capital grant funding from the Scottish Government.
The council has specially requested that the Scottish Government provides additional £15 million funding for major reconstruction at St. Kentigern’s Academy in Blackburn because of RAAC. It has already committed £20 million of funding to the re-build.
Sign up to Edinburgh Live newsletters for more headlines straight to your inbox
News Related
-
Asylum seekers travel in an inflatable boat across the English Channel, bound for Dover on the south coast of England (Photo: Ben Stansall/AFP) Up to 40 Conservative MPs are poised to rebel over Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda deportation policy as they question ministers’ commitment to the scheme. A major row is ...
See Details:
Up to 40 Tory MPs ‘set to rebel’ if Sunak’s Rwanda plan doesn’t override ECHR
-
In the saltmarsh fringing where the Ballyboe River dissolves into Trawbreaga Bay, a little egret wears its plumage like a windblown stole. Our car swoops across the 10 arches of Malin bridge and we park along the village green. Malin is almost as far north as you can get on ...
See Details:
Country diary: A tale of three churches
-
Photograph: Chris Ratcliffe/EPA Hampton Court is an enduring monument to the power of Henry VIII, a pleasure palace down the Thames from Westminster and the City of London. On Monday it was the scene of power projection of a different kind, as Rishi Sunak pitched for investment from some of ...
See Details:
Sunak woos business elite with royal welcome – but they seek certainty
-
-
Tottenham interested in move to sign “fearless” £20m defender in January Tottenham Hotspur have joined the race to bring an overseas defender to the Premier League in January, according to a fresh report. Postecoglou’s centre-back options The Lilywhites currently have Micky Van De Ven, Ashley Phillips, Cristian Romero and Eric ...
See Details:
Tottenham interested in move to sign “fearless” £20m defender in January
-
A £100m campaign urging households and businesses to use less water will be funded from customers’ bills, Ofwat has said. Bill payers to stump up cost of £100m water usage campaign The regulator’s chief executive David Black told MPs that if the measures worked it would be cheaper than building ...
See Details:
Bill payers to stump up cost of £100m water usage campaign
-
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football – FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023 – Group B – Canada Training – Olympic Park, Melbourne, Australia – July 24, 2023 Canada’s Christine Sinclair during training REUTERS/Hannah Mckay/File Photo (Reuters) – BC Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, will be renamed “Christine Sinclair ...
See Details:
Soccer-Venue renamed 'Christine Sinclair Place' for Canada soccer great's final game
-
Michael van Gerwen is hunting down a fourth World Championship title (Picture: Getty Images) Michael van Gerwen is Phil Taylor’s tip to lift the World Darts Championship trophy for a fourth time in January, expecting a backlash from the recent defeat in the Players Championship Finals. The 2024 World Championship ...
See Details:
Phil Taylor makes his pick for 2024 World Darts Championship winner
-
Michael van Gerwen is hunting down a fourth World Championship title (Picture: Getty Images) Michael van Gerwen is Phil Taylor’s tip to lift the World Darts Championship trophy for a fourth time in January, expecting a backlash from the recent defeat in the Players Championship Finals. The 2024 World Championship ...
See Details:
Soccer-Howe aims to boost Newcastle's momentum in PSG clash
-
Michael van Gerwen is hunting down a fourth World Championship title (Picture: Getty Images) Michael van Gerwen is Phil Taylor’s tip to lift the World Darts Championship trophy for a fourth time in January, expecting a backlash from the recent defeat in the Players Championship Finals. The 2024 World Championship ...
See Details:
Hamilton heads for hibernation with a word of warning
-
Michael van Gerwen is hunting down a fourth World Championship title (Picture: Getty Images) Michael van Gerwen is Phil Taylor’s tip to lift the World Darts Championship trophy for a fourth time in January, expecting a backlash from the recent defeat in the Players Championship Finals. The 2024 World Championship ...
See Details:
Carolina Panthers fire head coach Frank Reich after 1-10 start to the season
-
Michael van Gerwen is hunting down a fourth World Championship title (Picture: Getty Images) Michael van Gerwen is Phil Taylor’s tip to lift the World Darts Championship trophy for a fourth time in January, expecting a backlash from the recent defeat in the Players Championship Finals. The 2024 World Championship ...
See Details:
This exercise is critical for golfers. 4 tips to doing it right
-
Michael van Gerwen is hunting down a fourth World Championship title (Picture: Getty Images) Michael van Gerwen is Phil Taylor’s tip to lift the World Darts Championship trophy for a fourth time in January, expecting a backlash from the recent defeat in the Players Championship Finals. The 2024 World Championship ...
See Details:
One in three households with children 'will struggle to afford Christmas'
-
OTHER NEWS
Kobbie Mainoo made his first start for Man Utd at Everton (Photo: Getty) The Football Association are reportedly confident that Manchester United starlet Kobbie Mainoo will choose to represent England ...
Read more »
Michael Smith will begin the defence of his world title on the opening night (Picture: Getty Images) The 2024 World Darts Championship is less than three weeks away and the ...
Read more »
For the first time a long haul commercial aircraft is flying across the Atlantic using 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). A long haul commercial flight is flying to the US ...
Read more »
The King has met business and finance leaders from across the world at a Buckingham Palace reception to mark the conclusion of the UK’s Global Investment Summit. Charles was introduced ...
Read more »
After Ohio State’s 30-24 loss to Michigan Saturday, many college football fans were wondering where Lou Holtz was. In his postgame interview after the Buckeyes beat Notre Dame 17-14 in ...
Read more »
Darius Slay wouldn’t have minded being penalized on controversial no-call No matter which team you were rooting for on Sunday, we can all agree that the officiating job performed by ...
Read more »
New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones (10) Quarterback Mac Jones remains committed to finding success with the New England Patriots even though his future is up in the air following ...
Read more »